


The Wind and Sea

by ExtremeLight9



Category: NIOH (Video Game)
Genre: Depressing Thoughts, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Male Hide, One Shot Collection, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25048468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtremeLight9/pseuds/ExtremeLight9
Summary: They were both wandering the land, searching for something. A lot of hardships, pain and joy came along the way that led them to find what they were looking for.
Relationships: Hide & Tokichiro, William & Hide, William/Okatsu
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. The Calling (Hide)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. I’ve had this idea for a long time and after finishing Nioh 2, I just had to write it down. The chapters will switch between William and Hide.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Nioh.  
> Enjoy!

_He rose from the murky depths, the chilling water rushing past him. A prey was near. It was slow. He went straight for it, opening his massive jaws wide and devouring it. The water became tainted. A noise came from above; the surface. A new prey._

_He blinked._

_He was now flying through the dark balcony of the forest. He flapped his powerful wings, gliding through one branch to another. He burst through the trees, his burning eyes immediately catching sight of two humans standing by the lake. They were talking, but he couldn’t understand them. He dove down with a piercing cry, his claws reaching for them as they screamed-_

Hide shot up, panting with cold sweat. His horns were out and pulsing with power. The noise. _The noise…!_

“Easy there,”

He winced at the bright light shining on his face and looked over to see Tokichiro looking at him with wariness and concern. He was kneeling a safe distance from him. His hand that was holding the glowing crystal was shaking nervously as if he feared another violent outburst.

“Hiddy?” said Tokichiro carefully.

Hide took a deep breath and willed his horns away before nodding at him. His companion sighed in relief and the golden crystal shattered into nothing. Without the gentle glow, they were plunged back into the darkness of their camp. The fire they started earlier that night was nothing but dim embers.

“Another bad dream?” he asked.

Hide grunted and looked down at his hands. They were definitely human. He reached for his face and rubbed his cheek to feel smooth skin. No scales, no feathers.

Tokichiro relaxed and sat cross-legged, scratching his cheek awkwardly. “So….do you have these often? That’s the third one in two days,” Hide nodded. The peddler grinned. “Well, if this keeps up, I’ll be running out of crystals before I could make a fortune with them!”

Hide ducked his head in shame.

“W-wait, no! I didn’t mean it like that. _I was just joking!_ ” Tokichiro said frantically. The shiftling raised his head and offered a nod in acknowledgment.

These strange dreams and outbursts occurred when he used his shifting abilities too often, when his connection to the other realm was at its strongest. A flood of visions would fill his mind. A peculiar noise would creep at the back of his head, blurring most of his thoughts and leaving him with nothing but the feeling of his weapon and the will to survive. While facing a malicious yokai, it took so much of him to stay focused with the whispers and the buzzing that threatened to consume him. Telling a friend apart from an enemy during such moments could be challenging. He dreaded to think of opening his eyes one day and finding Tokichiro or some innocent bystander torn up on the ground by his doing.

He still remembered the first time he changed into a yokai and how it frightened him to death, though to be fair he had only been a child. What still frightened Hide, deep down, were the anger, resentment and despair that would rush through him whenever he shifted into different yokai. They felt too real, like he could lose himself to them if he got careless and let go for a split second. It was terrifying, yet he couldn’t escape them no matter how hard he tried.

That was why he resolved to only use that ability during battles.

Someone suddenly flicked his ear, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Lost me already?” said Tokichiro teasingly. He chuckled at the slight downturn of Hide’s brows, signifying his annoyance. The peddler did things like that quite a lot just to get a reaction out of Hide outside of the constant blank gaze. “I’m sure what you have to go through must be tough, but have no worry. My spirit stones and I are all you need!” Hide sighed under his beaming face.

“Now how about we try to get some rest? We have a long road ahead of us and I’m not travelling around with only six hours of sleep…” Tokichiro yawned and went back to his spot. He mumbled groggily. “Good night, Hiddy,”

Hide sat there for a while, contemplating on whether or not falling asleep was a good idea. What’s the point if he was going to end up being plagued by nightmares again? He glanced at the forest surrounding them, imagining the noise coming back, the pull to join the spirits of this mountain. He spent all of his life in hiding, away from people and yokai, not knowing which side he belonged to. Slaying demons and thugs was the only thing a creature like him was good for. There was never anything else. Lately, Hide had been wondering if he was better off back in his small hut without the trouble of his yokai side acting up so frequently.

A loud snore made him look at the man beside him, already fast asleep. Hide watched him closely and a light tug pulled at his lips, barely noticeable to a nearby observer.

Maybe that wasn’t entirely true. He did have the job of helping this strange man and as tiring as he could be sometimes, he still had given Hide something to work for.

He laid down again and closed his eyes. He imagined the visions and the noise once more and decided that there was a purpose for him in the world of humans, so he had more of a reason to resist them than before.


	2. The Blue-Eyed Ghost (William)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, this chapter turned out longer than I expected, but I’m quite happy with it.  
> Enjoy!

Their reunion was colder than he expected.

Maybe cold wasn’t the right word to put it.

As soon as her eyes met his, she went rigid and stared at him as if he just crawled out of the grave. “Oh…it’s you,” Okatsu murmured. Her eyes became distant and she gave a stiff bow before looking elsewhere. William could only be confused at that and turned to Hanzo for answers. Did something happen while he was back at England?

“It’s…not my place to speak,” Hanzo said, leaving him with nothing to go on. He hoped with time things would go back to the way they were, but that never happened. His encounters with her became painfully awkward as she offered him nothing but stoic looks and curt responses just like when they first met. He even offered to spar with her once, but she declined even though there was a time when she would have jumped at the chance either to warm up or test how well his skills were improving, teasing him endlessly if he got a technique wrong. What caused this change was beyond him. 

While training in the dojo one morning, Hanzo came to William with some news. “A neighboring town has requested help. They have been having trouble with bandits it seems,”

At the time, William saw no problem in coming along, so he agreed only to be thrown off when he found out later that the ninja had arranged for the two of them along with Okatsu to head there. His first thought was to back out, but he couldn’t bring himself to when there were people in danger. The night before his departure he did whatever preparations he could.

What William hadn’t accounted for was for Hanzo to be absent when they got there. “Where could he have gone? He said he would be here. Wouldn’t he have sent us Nekomata if something else came along the way?” he asked.

“We shouldn’t waste time waiting. I say we split up and gather whatever we could about the bandits,” said Okatsu solemnly and gave him an expectant glance. He sighed in defeat.

“Alright,”

By the end of the day, William was silently simmering in middle of the bustling town. Lanterns were lit all around. Since it was plainly obvious he was not from around here, he kept getting curious looks sent his way which did not help improve his mood in the slightest. The only thing he could think about the entire time was Hanzo. _I’ll be sure to have a word with him!_

As far as the people whom he asked said, the bandits came usually at night and took whatever they could get their hands on. They killed every person that got in their way so far.

Bored out of his mind, William’s eyes wandered around until they found Okatsu talking to a nearby shopkeeper. The longer he watched her, the more he grew to notice how different she seemed. Her face was bright and her smile energetic when talking to the old woman. He couldn’t help staring. The way she would laugh, the carefree glint in her eyes was a huge contrast to the way she acted on the battlefield and in front of them. She was far livelier, less guarded.

Having paid the shopkeeper, she left with a small basket and her face became guarded again once she found him. “Here,” she reached inside the basket and tossed him a meat bun. It would have hit William in the face if hadn’t snapped out of his daze.

“Uh, thank you,” he said and bit into it. She stood by his side, silently scanning the crowds before noticing that his eyes hadn’t left her.

“What?” she said, self-conscious.

William had no clue how to voice his thoughts. “I…I was just-”

A scream suddenly reached them, making them drop everything and rush to the center of the town where they found the bandits. They were breaking into shops and houses, threatening anyone they came across with their swords and sickles. Without needing to say anything, the two of them dove in. William unsheathed his sword and cleaved his way through one bandit after the other. Okatsu ran to a bandit threatening a man and a child and kicked him in the back of his head, sending him tumbling away.

William focused on the enemies coming at him with their glinting blades. He dodged each strike and cut them once their guard was down. The third one clashed his blade against his, sneering. The scarred man back up and swung, aiming for William’s neck only for him to roll out of the way just in time and face him again. In that moment, William noticed another man sitting on a nearby rooftop far too late. The archer launched an arrow straight into William’s shoulder and he staggered back. 

“Got you!” Grinning, the scarred bandit marched over ready to cut through him when a kunai struck him in the chest.

“Anjin!” While their enemy collapsed on the ground, Okatsu came running to him.

“No! Don’t let them escape!” William yelled as the remaining bandits began fleeing. He tried removing the arrow without risking any more damage, hissing in pain when he got it out.

“You’re bleeding!” she insisted, crouching by his side. Taking out a medicine container, she held it out to him, “Take it! Don’t make me force you!”

He reluctantly accepted it. “One of my spirits will do the rest,” he told her when he got up and already felt a cool wave already passing through his body, healing his wound. He stared at the empty street and huffed. “I’d have been fine. I’ve been injured before when I was alone. You should have gone after them,”

“Did you really think I would leave you like that?” she said, crossing her arms.

William looked away. “Well, you have been indifferent toward me ever since I’ve returned,”

He knew that was petty. It honestly surprised him that he would bring up such a thing at a time like this, but it wasn’t any further from the truth.

She fell silent, her eyes becoming distant again before sighing. “Anjin, why did you come back?” she asked, which made him bristle.

“What does that have to do with-”

“I need to know,” she cut him off. “After you defeated that man you were looking for, you left us without even saying anything. Why are here then?”

William blinked and sighed, feeling a little guilty about that now. “When I finished the work I had at England, I…learned that this land was in danger of war again, so I returned to prevent that. The thought has been on my mind, but I feel no urge to leave this place yet,”

She finally met his gaze and her face slowly softened. There was almost an underlying look of relief in her eyes. “I see. So the powerful Anjin couldn’t forget about us?” she teased.

Now that was familiar.

Raising a brow, William shook his head in amusement. “After all those perilous missions you had me do? Impossible,”

Okatsu rolled her eyes, but a smile betrayed her annoyance.

William walked past her, returning to the problem at hand. “I can send a spirit to search for the bandits, but it can’t get very far from me,” he said, Yatagarasu appearing on his shoulder. He gave the crow spirit a look and watched it take off into the air, hoping it would find them a trail of some kind.

“I would guess they probably headed to the mountain. That’s what I’ve been told by the locals,” she turned to him and grinned. “Don’t let yourself get knocked down again or I won’t keep running to your aid every time,”

“I appreciate your help, but you shouldn’t have done that in the first place,” William said again.

She scowled. “How could you say that like it’s nothing?”

William rubbed his temples. “You’re better off just finishing our mission. There is no point in coming to my aid. I’m already dead!”

A heavy silence followed that.

It was a reality he couldn’t deny. William might have clung onto life despite facing death many times before, but that didn’t make his deaths any less real or vivid. He was like a ghost walking among the living, always searching for something. Why care for someone who drew their last breath so many times already?

Okatsu was staring at him quietly and he began to regret losing his temper in front of her like that.

Just as he was about to say something, resolve returned to her eyes and she came over to him. To his surprise, she placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing the corner of his lips. A rush of heat flowed through his face when he felt her lips press against his other cheek. His mind became blank.

She leaned back and gave him a look. “For someone who is dead, you have shown more compassion than any samurai I have met alive…think about that,” she said seriously before finally pulling her hand away and turning around. “Now let’s hurry. We have bandits to catch,”

William stood there dumfounded before forcing himself to walk after her. “Right,”

**XXXXXXXXX**

Once Yatagarasu found the bandits’ lair, they managed to deal with the remaining ones and returned to report back to the town. Upon their return from the mission, William immediately sought Hanzo and found him sitting in the dojo staring at the garden, pipe in hand.

“You planned that, didn’t you?” William growled.

“So the town was saved. That’s good to hear,” said Hanzo, the smugness in his voice nothing short of irritating.

William dropped next him and shoved him on the shoulder. “You fiend! You sent us to deal with the threat alone?”

Hanzo shrugged, lowering his pipe. “I decided to put my trust in the hands of the mighty William. I’m glad to know I made the right choice,” he smirked knowingly at his fuming companion. “I brought some tea along. Care to join me?”

“Fine,” William groaned, seeing no point in arguing further. His scowl deepened when he heard the ninja chuckle to himself before rising up and walking away. He found himself leaning back and staring at the garden. While relaxing in the sunlight, he could almost feel that warmth brush against his cheek again and that same beaming face reared at the front of his mind. He smiled.

_No, I couldn’t possibly forget._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occasionally when William gets knocked down by an enemy in the finale of Nioh 2, he says something among the lines of “Just go on ahead. I’m already dead,” which inspired this idea of mine. I don’t usually write romance, but I really wanted to make something for these two.


	3. My Greatest Friend (Hide)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. This chapter was quite fun to write. I wanted to try flushing out the relationships between the characters a little more and I like the way how it turned out here.  
> Enjoy!

After the chaos died down, the ruins have fallen quiet again. The distant cries of demons faded away in the tunnels and caverns. Hide followed his two friends out of the massive building. William was still back there restraining that woman, but promised she would not cause them any more trouble. 

“I never thought I would be walking on this earth again, yet here I am!” Tokichiro said cheerfully, breathing in the cool air and looking around. “And look at this. The three of us together again, just like the old times!”

Mumyo gave a half-hearted eye roll. “Someone is as boisterous as ever,”

“Try to mask it as much as you like, dear Mumyo, but I’ve known you long enough to see through it all. You missed this. Admit it!” grinned Tokichiro.

“Hardly,” she said sarcastically, but Hide could see a wistful glint in her eyes. She did miss their company.

He really did too. Just standing here like this took him back to seemingly more carefree days, despite the hardships; wandering from town to town, facing demons and bringing peace.

He also remembered days of training under the warm sun and sparring with each other. Those were the best.

_“Alright, Hiddy. Come at me with all you have!” said Tokichiro, sword in hand and a smirk on his face._

_Hide lowered his odachi, hesitating._

_“Don’t look at me like that! I can handle it. I will have you know that I took on three warriors at once when you weren’t around!”_

_Koroku snorted from his spot on the grass. “I remember you flailing that sword around as if you were being attacked by bees,”_

_“Shut up!” Tokichiro yelled, his face flaming up. “Now Hide, don’t hold back!”_

_The peddler was down on the ground weaponless with only two strikes._

_Mumyo shook her head from under the shade of a tree while Koroku roared with laughter until he looked ready to fall over. “Can we eat now? This is embarrassing to watch,” she asked._

_“Fine,” mumbled Tokichiro as Hide helped him up and led him to the tree. They sat in the shade as the smell of steamed buns and meat wafted around. Koroku and Mumyo seemed to be trying to wolf down the entire meal in seconds._

_“Are you two caught in a race or something?” grumbled Tokichiro._

_Mumyo swallowed and huffed. “I have to eat as much as possible. I won’t be able to fight as good on an empty stomach,”_

_Koroku hummed, his shark-like teeth ripping the roasted meat with ease. “I respect a warrior who appreciates food as much as I do!” he said, eyes glinting with mischief moving to Tokichiro. “Speaking of warriors….I have never seen a man crumble faster,”_

_Tokichiro glared at him. “Are you out to torment me today?”_

_“Well-”_

_Hide gave the other shiftling a look and he stopped smirking._

_“Alright, alright. Jokes aside, you have to stop trembling in the face of your opponent. Stand your ground, Tokichiro, and swing with all your might!” Koroku clutched his fist and brought it down on the ground to demonstrate, making the peddler flinch. Hide could have sworn the ground beneath them shook._

_“I personally wouldn’t ask Tokichiro to fight anyone,” said Mumyo, surprising them. “He’s too…soft,” she added, probably remembering their encounter with that wind yokai in the forest._

_“I’m not!” protested Tokichiro. “Besides, if I let Hide do all the fighting, I won’t be able to impress Lord Nobunaga or Lady Oichi!”_

_“We should invite her to one of your sparring matches. She’ll definitely be impressed,” said Koroku. Tokichiro deadpanned before snatching the last bun out of the shiftling’s bowl. He ate the whole thing in one go and his cheeks puffed up, but he made sure to maintain eye contact with the shiftling the entire time. Koroku’s face went from stunned to simmering. Hide barely managed to back away as he pounced on the peddler. “I’LL KILL YOU!”_

_“Hiddy, please. Help!” cried Tokichiro as the two wrestled on the grass. While Mumyo sighed as if witnessing children fighting, Hide watched them roll around back and forth and felt a tug on his lips._

_“HE SMILED!” Tokichiro shouted from underneath Koroku, bringing everything including the shiftling wrestling him to a stop. He pointed wildly at Hide. “I saw it! He actually smiled!”_

_Hide blinked and touched his lips confusedly, ducking his head as he became the center of attention._

_Koroku eased his grip on the peddler, amused. “Well then. I didn’t think it was possible,”_

_Despite his less than comfortable position, Tokichiro beamed and held a fist in triumph. “Ha! See? There is truly nothing I can’t do!”_

_“I guess your suffering is that amusing,” said Mumyo, a light teasing note to her voice._

_“Mumyo!”_

_Hide watched the three continue bickering and teasing each other, yet somehow found himself thinking he wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else._

“So, Hide…” That snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned to Tokichiro. “How were you faring while I was gone? Any new adventures? Deals? Putting that demonic charm of yours to good use?” he gave Hide a wink.

“He’s been asleep since you left,” said Mumyo.

“What?!” Tokichiro gaped and Hide winced.

“It was a result of sealing the spirit that possessed you,” she explained.

Tokichiro’s face fell at the mention of that. “Oh…I see. Sorry,” his eyes darted away briefly before turning to her again. “Hey, Mumyo? Could you leave the two of us for a moment? I have some catching up to do with my old friend,”

Sensing the tension, she nodded. “I’ll be right here if you need me,” she walked away a bit and glanced back. “Tokichiro, it is good to see you…as your old self again,” she said quietly. He beamed and gave her a thumbs-up before she left.

Now it was just the two of them.

Hide waited for him to say what was on his mind. His friend’s eyes kept wandering around but never quite meeting his. He began awkwardly. “Uh, so, Hide. There is something I want to know. Back when I was corrupted by that demon…” he finally met his gaze. “Did you hate me?”

The question caught Hide off-guard and for a moment he stared at him, unsure of how to answer that.

To be honest, he did.

Even after coming to realize something was horribly wrong with the way the man was acting, he couldn’t help resenting him for all his crimes. He hurt and killed so many innocents just to gain power and control, sometimes even for the sake of it. No matter the reasons, there was no changing the reality of what happened and Hide had wanted to make the tyrant pay for his deeds.

_“What did I expect from a yokai?”_

Tokichiro was one of the first people to acknowledge Hide’s humanity despite his demon side and deep down that meant a lot to him, so hearing him talk with the same disgusted and belittling tone many had used toward him in the past had stung like nothing else. The corrupt man had even used the once innocent nickname ‘Hiddy’ almost to patronize him whenever they ran into each other. It became harder and harder to see him as his old, cheerful friend with every meeting.

“Hey, it’s alright. I don’t blame you,” Tokichiro placed a hand on Hide’s shoulder, smiling understandingly. “I may have not been myself, but I still remember all the things I’ve done. I was a monster. I caused so much bloodshed, ruined countless lives, and tried killing you and the others so many times. If only I hadn’t fallen for the temptation of the stones, hadn’t been so blind…” his eyes darkened with guilt, the weight of a thousand lives seemed to settle over him. Hide tried reaching for him only for the man to lower his hand and look at him earnestly.

“To tell the truth, during my madness a twisted part of me enjoyed watching _you_ struggle and fail,” Hide was taken aback by that. “In all the time we spent together, you were amazing to everyone, with your skills and yokai abilities. There was just nothing you couldn’t do. And me? All I did was live in your shadow, never being noticed no matter how hard I tried. Deep down, I envied you so much. When you refused to come back to my side and help me rule the land, I wanted to see you get knocked over again and again while I stood over everyone else, but no more of that,” Hide was surprised when his friend suddenly hugged him, shoulders shaking. “I won’t be here for long. I had my share of adventures, but even if I disappear again and you end up all alone one day, remember that you will always be my _greatest_ friend. Thank you for being there, while I chased my dreams…”

Hide remained caught there, stunned. He then felt a familiar tightness around his heart and he slowly held him back. It always came down to this. He would have to let another person go; his parents, his siblings, his friends…it never ceased to hurt, but this time it felt different. He felt ready.

“Goodbye…Hiddy,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I enjoy giving myself feels. 
> 
> Anyway, I’m hoping for this story to have at least six chapters, unless I have more ideas, so three more chapters to go!


	4. Cerulean Rain (William)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I have done a chapter, but I was quite busy this last month. On other news, I have finished the Tengu’s Displine DLC for Nioh 2 and I found it pretty neat. Looking forward for more stuff in the future.  
> Enjoy!

“Come on, aim higher!”

William almost rolled his eyes as Okatsu stood by the dummy, waiting with her arms crossed. They were in the garden outside the dojo that morning, working on improving his aim with the ninja tools.

It was not turning out well.

Tightening his hold on his kunai, he threw it with all his might, grazing the dummy and watching the weapon strike a rock and fall into the lake.

“At this rate, I might order another set,” Okatsu said, running a hand through her hair.

William sighed. His aim with the bow and the matchlock was remarkable, but for some reason those skills didn’t apply for ninja tools and spells. He heard a snicker from behind and glared at Hanzo who was watching them from under the shade of a tree. “I can’t help feeling you two do this to poke fun at me rather than assist,”

“Hey, it can be both,” Hanzo shrugged.

Okatsu walked to William, snatched a kunai from his hand and launched it at the dummy without a pause. It went straight into the target’s chest. She turned to him with a hooded stare and his eyes darted elsewhere.

“I can’t speak for spell casting, but you’re putting too much force into your throw. Be quick and precise,” she explained.

“In other words, you’re over-thinking it,” Hanzo added. A scampuss spirit rolled into view and stopped in front of the ninja expectantly. He scratched its head with a pleased grin.

“Hanzo!” Nekomata manifested suddenly, looking troubled. “An enraged spirit has appeared!”

All mirth vanished from the air. Hanzo shot up. “Lead the way,”

The three rushed out, following the spirit’s guidance. A spike in the air confirmed the warning as the temperature dropped noticeably. They arrived in the center of the chaos to see a huge spirit rampaging through the streets. It was in the shape of a black bird with a long neck and a feathery tail. A white painted mask was all the demon had for a face. A cluster of red eyes covered its round belly, looking around and blinking rapidly.

William tightened his grip on his blade while his two companions exchanged knowing looks before darting in different directions. William rushed forward, getting the demon’s attention on him. It released a piercing shriek and came charging in. He rolled out of the way and its momentum caused it to run into a house.

The two ninjas jumped in. Hanzo unsheathed his sword and cut off its tail with a swift slash. Calling for her rabbit spirit, Okatsu’s feet glowed as she ran over the demon’s back all the way to the top and tore off its head with a kunai. To their surprise, the beast reacted only by smacking them both away with its massive wings.

While the cutoff tail and head melted into black sludge, shadowy tendrils that flailed madly replaced them on the demon’s body. William took a step back as he considered their options.

“Ignore the limps. They’re not real,” Nekomata whispered.

Biting his lip, he regarded the approaching demon with steely focus before deciding to go for the part of the body they had yet to attack. He called on Kato and took a fighting stance as the fire wolf fused with his sword. Wasting no time, he charged at the demon, avoiding the tendrils that came down to skewer him. With a cry, he slashed at the demon’s belly and eyes, letting the ravenous flames devour the shadowy form.

William retreated as the demon gave a chilling screech before exploding into unearthly mist that swept through the area. He heaved a sigh of relief once the air returned to normal and watched the flames vanish from his sword. He felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to Hanzo who was holding his side.

“Well done,”

Any joy the demon’s defeat could have brought was gone immediately when people came to investigate the scene. Distressed cries spread at the victims and destruction the beast left behind.

William’s eyes found Okatsu who watched the disarray with a grave look before storming away.

**XXXXXXXXX**

She knew she should be heading back, but she didn’t feel ready yet, didn’t feel like she had done enough.

Hands full of shurikens, Okatsu flung one after the other into a tree, the sound of metal sinking into wood echoing out in the dark forest. The cloudy sky had long begun to pour and her clothes were drenched yet she remained there, panting with an insatiable burning in her chest. She eventually stopped, staring at her handiwork, but the sight of the damaged bark, the cold rain falling over her and the fiery rage coursing through her veins did little to soothe her numbed mind.

A loud splash behind made her whirl around with the final shuriken ready when she was met with those blue eyes and golden hair. William was staring at her with a red umbrella in hand.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said with a sigh, lowering her last shuriken. “How did you find me?”

“Hanzo said you would be here,”

“Of course he did,” she grumbled. She always came here when she wanted to be alone and the last thing she wanted was for others to know about this place. William stepped closer and held the umbrella over both of them.

“When I noticed the weather, I knew you will be drenched so I came looking for you,” he explained.

With absence of rain pouring on her, she became painfully aware of how cold she was. Her wet clothes clung to her skin and a chill snaked through her bones. Choosing to stay here was probably not the best idea and she knew she would be regretting this tomorrow. “Thank you,”

“I see you’ve been busy,” William noted.

She looked around the clearing to the number of trees she littered with her ninja tools. It looked as if a brutal battle had taken place here. She didn’t realize that in her blind desire to vent. In the state she was in at the moment, she could only offer a tired shrug.

“May I?” William held his hand out. Blinking, she passed him the last shuriken. He focused on a nearby tree and went for a swift throw. It sunk on the tree’s side, way below Okatsu’s.

“Almost there,” he said.

That brought a brief flicker of mirth to her mood before her face fell again. “Let’s leave,”

He didn’t say more as he took her out of the forest. They were walking in silence the entire time. The quietness was only broken by the tapping rain and the occasional splash from puddles.

“From what we gathered, the demon attack was the work of rogue mages. They captured and corrupted some spirits to create that…thing from earlier to stir up trouble in the region,” William explained.

“How surprising,” she mumbled. 

“Hanzo and I have already tracked the mages down and dealt with them,” he finished and turned to see her expression. “Are you alright?”

The answer to that was clear, but she figured that was not what he meant. She stopped and clutched her fists. “I thought with the end of the war peace will finally be brought to the land. No more bloodshed, but that was just a naïve wish. It will always be innocents who have to pay for the greed of tyrants and criminals,” she said bitterly, though her heart ached after admitting that.

William watched her silently as if thinking over what she said. “I never thought much of peace and protecting others in the past, but you’re right. There will always be conflicts and people who thirst for power…just like how there will always be someone, somewhere, who’s still willing to rise up and bring them down,” William said. “And I’m not afraid to jump into battlefield again and again to fight…with you,”

She froze when his lips met hers. The rain poured and tapped against the umbrella, yet she heard none of it in that still moment. When he pulled back, he gave her his rare smile, his blue eyes having a gentle warmth to them.

Her thoughts began to flow again and she slowly smiled back, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“For once, I don’t mind that,”

She heard him chuckle lightly and let him lead them away. A minute later, he stopped and she looked at him. Following his gaze, she saw a small cup left under a tree. She was about to question him when he held the umbrella out to her. “Take this for a moment,”

William walked over and crouched in front of turned tea cup. She became aware that the abandoned item was trembling. “Are you alright in there?” he asked it. A flutter of light later a kodama spirit was standing there. It was hugging its small form while gazing at the darkened sky, flinching at the distant thunder. William lowered his hand to the spirit. “Let me take you somewhere safe. This is no place for a little one like you,”

The kodama hesitantly stepped onto William’s hand. He stood up and placed the spirit in his scarf where it dipped into the warm wool.

Okatsu couldn’t help smiling. No matter how hard she tried, she could never figure this man out. One moment he would seem stoic, blunt and fierce in battles and then…

William was soon back to her side, looking away almost sheepishly. “What?” he said while the kodama waved at her from its hiding spot.

“Nothing,” she giggled while holding the umbrella over all of them. They walked back home with the crystal-clear rain falling around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always a pleasure writing about these two. The demon in this chapter was my own attempt at creating a Nioh boss, so I hope I did an okay job with the design.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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